Looking Ahead; Economical Gear Changing - Skoda Roomster Owner's Manual

Avoiding unnecessary ballast
Regular maintenance
Saving electrical energy
Environmental compatibility
The technical requirements for low fuel usage and economic efficiency of the
vehicle have already been built into the vehicle at the works. ŠKODA places a
particular emphasis on minimising negative effects on the environment.
It is necessary to take note of the guidelines given in this chapter in order to
make best use of these characteristics and to maintain their effectiveness.
Fuel consumption, environmental pollution and the wear to the engine, brakes
and tyres depend essentially on the following three factors.
›
Your personal driving style
›
Operating conditions
›
Technical requirements
The fuel economy by can be improved by 10 -15 % by always looking ahead and
driving in an economical way.
Fuel consumption is also be influenced by external factors which are beyond
the driver's control. Consumption increases during the winter or under difficult
conditions, on poor roads, etc.
Fuel consumption can vary considerably from the manufacturer's data, as a re-
sult of outside temperatures, the weather and driving style.
The optimal engine speed should be maintained when accelerating, to avoid a
high fuel consumption and resonance of the vehicle.
CAUTION
All the speed and engine revolution figures apply only when the engine is at
its normal operating temperature.

Looking ahead


Read and observe on page 114 first.
A vehicle's highest fuel consumption occurs when accelerating, therefore un-
necessary accelerating and braking should be avoided. If looking ahead when
driving, less braking and consequently less accelerating are required.
If possible, let your vehicle coast to a stop, or use the engine brake, if you can
see that the next set of traffic lights is on red, for example.
114
Driving
115

Economical gear changing.

116
116
116

Read and observe
Shifting up early saves on fuel.
Manual gearbox
›
Drive no more than about one length of your vehicle in first gear.
›
Shift up into the next gear at approximately 2000 rpm.
An effective way of achieving good fuel economy is to shift up early. Observe
the recommended gear » page
A suitably selected gear can have an effect on fuel consumption
Automatic gearbox
›
Slowly apply the accelerator pedal. However, do not depress it as far as the
kickdown position » page
›
An economic driving programme is automatically selected if the accelerator
pedal is only depressed slowly.
Fig. 113
Principle sketch: Fuel consump-
tion in litres/100 km depending
on the selected gear
on page 114 first.
32, Recommended gear.
112.
» Fig. 113.